http://www.theheart.org/article/1547245.do?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20130606_heartwire&utm_campaign=newsletter
Lowering systolic blood pressure to <130 mm Hg in patients with recent lacunar stroke is likely to be beneficial, results from the Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Strokes (SPS3) trial show [1].
Although the primary end point was not quite
significant, it did suggest a reduction in stroke in the lower-BP group.
In addition, the secondary end point of hemorrhagic stroke was
significantly reduced.
"Our results are consistent with previous
trials of blood-pressure lowering after stroke and support a treatment
target of less than 130 mm Hg systolic for most patients with recent
lacunar stroke," commented lead investigator Dr Oscar R Benavente (University of British Columbia, Vancouver).
Their findings were presented here at the European Stroke Conference 2013 on May 29, 2013 and published simultaneously online in the Lancet. Preliminary results of the blood-pressure-lowering arm of SPS3 were presented earlier this year at the International Stroke Conference 2013 in February and reported at that time.
A second arm of the trial, published previously in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at antiplatelet regimens and showed no benefit from combined aspirin and clopidogrel over aspirin alone in this same population
